This section contains the descriptions of courses offered at the University of Calgary. The courses are arranged in alphabetical order by course title not by abbreviation. In order to better understand the notations used throughout this section, an illustrated example of a course description is provided.

All courses listed are not necessarily offered every year and students should consult the Schedule of Classes for an official listing of those courses that will be offered in a given term.

Since this Calendar is published a considerable time before the opening of the academic year, the University reserves the right to make whatever changes circumstances may require including the cancellation of a particular course.

Note: Access to graduate level courses (numbered 600 and above) for Visiting and Exchange students is limited to those admitted to a graduate program. For Open Studies and other students, access to graduate courses is restricted to those with adequate preparation, normally an undergraduate degree or the equivalent. Permission for an Open Studies or other student to register in any graduate level course must be obtained from the Faculty of Graduate Studies office.

Sample Course Description

See numbered footnotes for explanations of the information commonly provided in a course description.

To understand course acronyms, refer to the section “Courses of Instruction by Faculty”.

2Hours of Instruction: e.g. 3 units; (3-3)

Fees and graduation are determined using “units”. The unit weight of the course is indicated in the calendar by the first part of the course hours, e.g. “3 units”.

The hours of instruction expected per week are indicated by the numbers contained in the brackets. The first number represents the number of lecture hours per week and the second number represents the number of lab hours per week. For example, (3-0) would indicate 3 hours of lectures per week and no labs. For (2-3), there would be 2 hours of lectures per week, along with 3 hours of lab per week.

A course labelled (3-3/2) means that there are 3 hours of lecture per week and 3 hours of lab every other week.

A course may also have tutorial and/or seminar hours assigned. These are indicated with an "S" or a "T", e.g., 3-2T or 3-1S.

To calculate the total hours of expected instruction given the weekly course hours provided in the calendar, one should take the total expected weeks of instruction and multiply by the number of weekly hours in the brackets. For example, Geology 609 (3-3), the total expected lecture hours are 3 (hours) x 12 (weeks) = 36 hours, and similarly 3 x 12 = 36 lab hours. A course designated 6 units; (3-0) would be 3 (hours) x 24 (weeks) = 72 hours, which may be taught over the course of two terms or entirely in one term, provided total hours equal 72. Courses may be taught during block week, in 3 week approved sessions, 6 week approved sessions, 12 week terms, over 24 weeks or 2 terms, or for approved non-standard dates. Whatever the duration of the course, the total instructional hours should remain the same.

Courses that use blended learning teaching formats may meet the required instructional hours using alternate methods such as online instruction. Courses indicated as independent study or independent research include an hourly designation expected of the student to full-fill their independent work and may not have scheduled instruction time. Practicum and field study courses may indicate the total hours of instruction in the brackets instead of a weekly designation used by other courses. For example, Nursing 289 has 6 units; (247 hours) listed as the course hours.

3Prerequisites: Courses that must be completed or currently registered in before a student may be able to register in this course.

Note: All courses listed as a prerequisite assume a minimum grade of “C-“, unless otherwise stated. When a number of units is listed, it is assumed this is the minimum and that all “F” grades are excluded from this count.

Corequisites: Must be completed at the same time as this class.

4Antirequisites: Certain courses carry the notation "Credit for course number XXX and course number XXX will not be allowed." Students may take these courses if they wish, but credit for both courses will not be granted towards their degree.

5Notes: This contains any information that may be helpful regarding enrolment in the course. Some examples are: "A supplementary fee will be assessed to cover additional costs associated with this course", or "This course occurs in rugged field conditions and varying weather, for which participants must be prepared and equipped".

6May Be Repeated for Credit

Some courses are decimalized in order to accommodate different topics of study e.g. 609.01, 609.02. If this notation is present, students are allowed to take multiple topics belonging to one course number.

7Not Included in GPA

A course with this notation is graded as CR (Completed Requirements) or F (Fail). The course is not included in the calculation of the grade point average.